


somewhere in my car

by kay_emm_gee



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Reconciliation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-08
Updated: 2016-04-08
Packaged: 2018-05-31 23:04:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,330
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6490867
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kay_emm_gee/pseuds/kay_emm_gee
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Wells gripped the steering wheel tightly, skin pulling painfully over his knuckles, as he glared at the radio. He had used to love this song, the way it filled the car and twined with Raven’s rich voice as they cruised the seacoast highway, windows rolled down and hearts full. Now all he could hear was the rain hitting his windshield and the silence of the empty passenger seat next to him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	somewhere in my car

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by Keith Urban's 'Somewhere In My Car' and Tim McGraw's 'Highway Don't Care'.

Squinting through his car windshield, Wells leaned forward in his seat to try and see past the furiously pounding rain. Annoyance thrummed under his skin because _of course_ he would have to stay late at the firm on a Friday and _of course_ it would be because Murphy hadn’t gotten his damn caseload finished so Kane had passed it off to him and _of course_ the worst storm this fall was at its peak as he drove home. The less he was able to see the yellow and white lines on the pavement, the more frustrated he grew. His mood only got worse when the music playing softly through the speakers changed.

Wells gripped the steering wheel tightly, skin pulling painfully over his knuckles, as he glared at the radio. He had used to love this song, the way it filled the car and twined with Raven’s rich voice as they cruised the seacoast highway, windows rolled down and hearts full. Now all he could hear was the rain hitting his windshield and the silence of the empty passenger seat next to him.

The song continued to play, sounding as if it was growing louder the longer it went on. His pulse was rushing louder in his ears as well. He tried to ignore the creeping tension in his shoulders and the way his mind flew hundreds of miles north of him to where she was now. Too easily he could picture how the slick road before him would wind and weave its way among the buildings of D.C. until it turned to wide-open freeway, which would stretch up the East Coast until it reached a city older than the nation itself, full of history and hospitals, and a harbor where tea had been spilled as well as the home to one of the best engineering graduate programs in the country.

Wells both hated and loved that program. It had given Raven everything she had ever wanted, but it had taken something, someone, _her_ from him. It wasn’t a fair statement but one he felt deep in his gut nonetheless, the memory too fresh in his mind of Raven--with a stone face but glistening eyes--telling him after she had accepted their offer: _I don’t want to do long distance. It won’t work; it never does. I can’t--I don’t want to even try._

Even then--after so many slow-paced patient kisses and whispered promises under sheets that had broken down her walls--the ghost of Finn and the memory of his disloyalty haunted her, dooming them. Wells had argued with her, yelling that she could trust him. She just shook her head mournfully, severing all ties anyways.

_Why hadn’t she trusted him?_

The car swiveled a bit, and Wells jerked to attention. He needed to focus on the road in front of him, not the one that separated him and her. Still, the song played on, seeming to stretch far longer than it was meant to. He couldn’t take it anymore. With a sigh, he chanced removing his hand from the wheel and slammed the radio off. His palm slipped though, pressing twice, and the melody was playing again, more loudly now. Frowning, he hit the dial again.

When he looked up, he saw dirt and bushes, not pavement in front of him. Swearing, he slammed on the breaks and jerked the steering wheel, and the car fishtailed. Everything became a blur of rain and dark with flashes of white and yellow and the shine of the wet pavement. His racing, pounding heart rattled his ribcage as the tires squealed on the tar, then ground against gravel when the car skidded off the side of the road.

The seatbelt caught him painfully as the car halted but his body kept moving. Panting, Wells blinked and blinked, trying to regain his bearings. Instead, his vision turned spotty, black patches blooming wider as his head bobbed. Just as it rested against the steering wheel, his eyes shut again, lids too heavy to open and mind too weak to resist the pull of a memory from another rainy night in this car.

_“Raven, we’re stranded,” he groaned as his girlfriend climbed her way over the console to straddle his lap. “I need to go get gas.”_

_“In a minute,” she laughed, the joyful sound drowning out the rain pounding down outside. Her hands cupped his jaw before he could argue, and then her mouth was on his. Like always, the caress of her lips sent heat through him, sharp and demanding. Wells forgot they were pulled over at a rest stop, the needle on ‘E’. He forgot the flash of headlights passing by on the highway next to them. He forgot about everything except Raven and the way her weight felt so wonderful in his lap. His own hands came up to grip her waist, then slid around to her lower back to arch her against him. She rolled against him as he deepened the kiss, making it wet and wild just like he knew she liked._

_“Shit,” she gasped as he moved his mouth down her neck, kissing and nipping until he reached her collarbone. Wells nosed aside her collar so he could taste more of her skin, and her fingers slid beneath his shirt hem. As soon as it was off, he claimed her mouth again, reaching for her bra. Wells unhooked it, palming her back and then her breasts. Raven swore again, fingernails digging into his bare shoulders._

_“Pants, off,” she panted, though she kept her half-naked body pressed against his chest, leaving no room to do as she asked._

_“In a minute,” He echoed her earlier words and chuckled when she huffed in response._

_His hands slipped down her waist, and Raven finally pulled back, head lifting from the crook of his neck. Her cheeks were flustered-red, but there was a softness in her eyes that made Wells pause. Both the red and the softness deepened as he traced feather-light circles on her sides._

_“I love you,” she murmured, cupping his jaw again. His breath caught as her thumbs stroked his cheeks._

_Slowly Wells pulled her to him until her forehead bumped against his, their noses brushing. “I love you too.”_

_Raven leaned forward, her lips just barely brushing his, and he closed his eyes against the emotion in that gesture, against the glare of headlights--_

Wells jerked his head up, blinking in the darkness. He could see tail lights in the rearview disappearing along the slick road behind him. Taking in a deep breath, he straightened, and the seat belt retracted easily, no longer locked. The rain had lessened, now just a gentle plinking against the hood of his silent car.

It took him another minute before he could reach for his cell phone and dial AAA. By the time a tow truck arrived, the storm had ended completely. The memories of Raven, though, had come rushing in like a deluge of their own, having been held back for too many weeks.

When the mechanic--a burly woman with cropped red hair--knocked on his window, he nearly scowled. She was probably a good mechanic, but she wasn’t the best mechanic. She wasn’t Raven, and it was all he could do to keep from snapping at her as she rattled off her plan for the repairs on his car. He climbed in her truck in silence after she had hooked everything up, and Wells stayed silent the entire way to the garage.

She gave him a curious look when he sighed out that he was staying the night while she fixed his car. With raised eyebrows, she gestured towards the very uncomfortable-looking waiting room chairs and then disappeared into the back. Wells sat down, wrapped his coat around his front, and settled in, wondering if he was going to get a wink of sleep.

He fell asleep remembering Raven’s laugh, his stomach clenching anxiously right before he drifted off as he realized the preserved sound was a little fainter than usual.

* * *

 

Wells woke slowly, rubbing his eyes as they adjusted to the early morning light. His coat fell to the floor, and as he grabbed it, he noticed the mechanic sliding a bill across the counter towards him.

“All set?” He asked, rising to pay.

“Your car’s in great condition,” the mechanic said. “You could drive it halfway across the country right now, if you wanted.”

Wells froze as he slid his wallet back into his pocket. An idea came to him: _halfway across the country, or_ \--just up the coast.

He managed a heartfelt thanks before racing out the door, keys clutched tightly in his hand. There would need to be a lot of coffee stops, but he could do it. He could drive straight out of this city and through a few more, until he got to Boston, until he got to the city he had come to hate, the one where Raven was.

As Wells drove into the dawn, he wondered if he might be able to stop hating it, because it was the city where Raven was, and he loved everything about her--her laugh, her smile, where she lived, how she loved. So maybe he could stop hating it, eventually.

* * *

It was only when he was an hour outside of Boston that he realized he didn’t have Raven’s address. His hand was a little unsteady as he typed out a text to her; he didn’t have the courage to hear her voice, not yet.

It was another half hour before three blinking dots appeared on his phone screen, and another ten minutes before a text came through with her address followed by a question mark. Wells just switched to the GPS, punching in her Cambridge address and tapping his fingers nervously on the wheel as he drove into the city.

It took him forever to find parking, but then he was there at the door to Raven’s building. He hit the buzzer for her apartment before he could think about it too much, his pulse spiking when the speaker finally crackled in response.

“Who is it?”

He took a deep breath, which was hard because her voice had always made him a little unsteady. “It’s me.”

There was no responding crackle this time, and Wells was about ready to walk back down the steps when the door buzzed. He walked slowly up to her floor, nearly pausing when he saw an open door and Raven standing there, expression wary and sad.

“What are you doing here?” She asked in a clipped tone as he drew closer.

He took another breath, trying and failing to muster up a smile. “I missed you.”

A flash of pain and longing on her face was quickly replaced by a shuttered expression. She was shutting down, shutting him out, and his hand unconciously jerked forward. His touch always had brought her back, but she shied away from it now, retreating into her apartment. She left the door open behind her, though, and so he followed.

The apartment was small, but smelled of metal and takeout. Wells smiled because different city but same Raven.

“What are you doing here?”

Afternoon sunlight flickered in through her living room windows as she stared at him, her hair shining in its sleek ponytail. He shifted on his feet, still trying to take in this place that was hers but so unfamiliar to him.

“I told you--”

“Why, Wells?”

“Because.” He strode across the room until he was right in front of her, close enough to feel her warmth but far enough to not make her feel trapped. “Because I _miss_ you, and because fuck long distance. We’re stronger than that, and I should’ve said all these things before you left but I--”

Her lips on his cut him off, and Wells pulled her in immediately, hands firm but mouth soft. Raven melted against him for a moment before pulling back. Wells loosened his grip, letting her back away like he knew she needed to.

“This is so unfair,” she grumbled softly even as she ran her thumb across his brow. “You show up here, smelling like car and coffee and looking like shit after driving all day to pull this chick flick-level stunt. I’d be a cold-hearted bitch to say no.”

“Raven,” he huffed out with a half-smile even as he kept his tone serious. “Did you miss me?”

“Unfair.”

With an understanding sigh, Wells started to pull away. Her hands gripped his shirt immediately, keeping him close. Raven scowled at him, but there was a playful glint in her eye.

“Did you miss me?” He asked again, teasingly.

“Shut up,” she muttered before pulling him in for another heated kiss. “Of course I missed you.”

With a laugh, he hauled her up in his arms. She shrieked in delighted surprise, laughing as she wrapped her limbs around him, pressing her face into his shoulder.

“You’re gonna have to call me every day, you know,” she breathed into his skin. “And you better get a credit card with good travel miles. And--”

He dropped her on the bed, shedding his shirt as she looked up at him with raised eyebrows.

“I will,” he said as he crawled on top of her, enjoying the way it made heat flare in her eyes.

“You mean it?”

He smiled down softly at her, hearing the whisper of nervousness and uncertainty in her voice. “I promise, because I love you. I love you, Raven. And I’m not going anywhere.”

The smile she gave him in response was brighter than the sun outside, and he leaned down to kiss her, long and deep. He kissed her hard enough to make them both forget the months they spent apart and instead think of the months that lay ahead of them, months they would be separated by distance but together in all the ways that mattered.

**Author's Note:**

> Raven deserved so much love after tonight's episode so I had to post it. Come find me on tumblr (kay-emm-gee)!


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